Wamego’s Veteran’s memorial went from vision to reality with the unveiling of the bronze “Duty Called”. The unveiling ceremony was held Friday afternoon at the Columbian Theatre, with an opportunity to meet the artists, Charlie and Carson Norton from Leoti, Kansas.
Both Charlie and Carson revealed how the bronze design was born, and some of the significant parts of the sculpture. Charlie said it was like coming full circle, as a Viet Nam veteran, the piece was special to him and son Carson. Charlie said he’s been casting for 42 years, and had always done Western art, with his largest bronze piece in the world in Oakley, KS.
“Duty Called” is a bronze with a great attention to detail. The wedding ring on the soldier drew questions, and Charlie said it’s to depict the soldier’s duty to not only to country, but to family also. The Big Red 1 on the shoulder is tied to Ft. Riley. There’s a button on the med pack that was originally produced in Britain, depicting the international effort of WWII. The rest of the buttons are stamped USA.
Carson, interested in WWII history since the age of six, holds a Master’s Degree in history from Ft. Hays State University, studied every detail of the statue’s design. The bronze is meant to encompass all wars, has different shells (unspent German) and spent US shell casings in the base of the bronze. Carson said the shells tell the story the Germans were on the run with the empty shell casings, showing the US was moving toward liberation. Carson revealed he came up with the name “Duty Called” while sitting in a duck blind.
Charlie said it was an honor to serve the country, and hopes this sculpture will carry on into posterity so future generations can understand the reason for behind it. He added that duty called him in 1964 and 2014, when he was contacted by American Legion Post 172 Commander Gary McCloud with his vision of “Duty Called”. Charlie said McCloud revealed the basic idea for the bronze, and it all took on a life of its own.
The Norton’s are a family of artists, with Charlie’s wife Pat, an artist in her own right, along with another son and daughter, with a grandson also involved in art. This proves that artistic talent is genetic. You can check out the Norton’s on Facebook: Norton Enterprises.
The bronze, “Duty Called” will be the center of interest of a $250,000 Wamego Veteran’s Memorial that has been in the works for almost two years. The Memorial will be located at the Northeast portion of the Wamego City Park. The Wamego community raised over $220,000 to make the Veteran’s memorial possible, while still short $30,000, the plan is to break ground this fall.
